Fire and fire alarm calls are one of the No. 1 calls received by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Since Jan. 1, SLU has experienced three trash can fires outside of a building; one trash can fire inside of a building; five fire alarms with building evacuations due to burnt food; two fire alarm activations with evacuation due to the smell of something burning; one fire call as a result of a discarded cigarette that caught fire to mulch next to a building; and two vehicle fires.

DPSEP officers are trained in fire safety response and the use of fire extinguishers but fire safety is everyone's responsibility. Minimizing the risk of fires is important to the overall safety of the SLU community. In 2010, the National Fire Protection Association estimated death and injuries caused by fires to cost $42.4 billion annually, with economic or property costs exceeding $18.6 billion.

DPSEP hopes that, as a responsible member of the community, all SLU students, faculty and staff will practice safe fire prevention habits, report dangerous situations and join them in learning how to use a fire extinguisher or what actions to take when a fire breaks out in a building.

For more information on fire safety and the University's fire extinguisher training courses, contact DPSEP at dpseptraining@slu.edu.